Be There For Him
by Niallfornandos
Summary: "Jean comes to visit in the hospital as much as he possibly can, or else, Eren would be all alone in that white room of suffocating darkness and sorrow." Warning: Angst and character death. Please read and review!


I didn't really like the way this story came out before, so I rewrite it and made it a bit less rough around the edges, thanks to fugacior! UvU

* * *

Jean comes to visit in the hospital as much as he possibly can, or else, Eren would be all alone in that white room of suffocating darkness and sorrow. He cannot even imagine why the boy should be alone in there, without anyone to comfort him when he cries, rub his back when he has a coughing fit, or hold his hand when he's in pain. He cannot imagine why, but it is so anyway, because a person wanting a loved one to be safe and happy, not distressed and broken, is not good enough, right?

He was barely surviving, hanging on his last whim. And that last whim was Jean, steadying and firm, but he didn't think he could take it any longer. He loved Jean with all of his heart, no matter how much they bickered and fought, poked and prodded, because he could look past those things.

Jean's always there for Eren. When the boy's hurling, left breathless and empty, tears building at the corners of his burning eyes, Jean will rub his back gently, and afterwards, wipe away the discolored dribble from his chin and place a kiss on his sweating forehead. He'd get a wash cloth and dab it over the corners of his mouth, where remains of the bitter-tasting bile sat. It was disgusting. He was disgusting, and so beautiful...

But he was dying, too.

He would beg for mercy, whispering and whimpering when those painful attacks on his body came. A boy who felt happy, laughing and dancing and smiling, was left helpless between sheets and blankets that offered no warmth. They were artificial, thinner than the sick boy's patience.

But that didn't matter, because Jean was there for Eren then too, right? He would wince when Eren squeezed his hand with a death grip, while squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his teeth, because _Jean, it hurts so badly._ But he was there, nonetheless, always telling him comforting words in a sickly voice, because _Eren, it hurts so badly to see you like this._

After Eren was left tired and exhausted, already dozing off to sleep, Jean would climb into the narrow bed and hold him close to his chest, resting his chin on the other's head. Brushing away the hair that stuck to Eren's face stubbornly, he would wipe away the tears that made their way down the teen's face, and stroke his cheek with the back of his hand.

Because no matter what, Jean was there for Eren.

* * *

_The prom had been something everyone in the highschool had been excited for, even the ones who didn't have dates. It was a time for all of the students to gather together and just enjoy themselves, lover present or not._

_One of those people who did have a date, though, was Eren Jaeger, who had been asked out by none other than Jean Kirschtein. The two had been known throughout the class as "a thing," although they bickered with one another relentlessly. Always calling each other "horse face" and "suicidal asswipe," they never missed a chance to fight or quibble._

_Yet after Eren had announced to the class about his illness he had been diagnosed with, their relationship started to soften up, although Jean was a bit upset that he hadn't told him first. Whenever the hot-headed brunette was having a coughing fit, his boyfriend would be there to rub his back. Whenever he was feeling unreasonably cold or hot, Jean would envelop the boy in his embrace, or fan him down. Whenever he was feeling weary or tired, for reasons other than 'school is the most tiring thing on Earth,' Jean would give him piggy back rides where ever they needed to go, which earned them wide-eyed stares and whispers of "Aren't they adorable?"_

_Armin and Mikasa, Eren's best friends since preschool, had been wary of their relationship at first, but quickly grew into it and supported them. Though Mikasa had caught Jean out of school one day and warned him that if he put a single bruise on Eren, he'd be dead meat. Armin had also warned Jean to not hurt Eren._

_The dance had rounded up quite quickly, with almost no time left for the couple to consider what to wear or what to do. Yet as they were dropped off at the school, it had happened without a thought, them knowing and going with the natural flow of things._

_Most of the time, they had just sat and talked the entire time, because neither of them had the courage to dance along with any of the upbeat songs that played. They weren't the best of dancers, so instead they spilled their thoughts to each other, with Jean offering to grab Eren a cup of punch occasionally. They had never talked like that before, both of them noticed._

_Maybe me getting sick wasn't so bad after all... Eren thought, before catching up with his conversation again._

_Towards the end of the event, everyone had been tuckered out and seemed less hyper, to the teachers' relief. Suddenly, a quiet romance song had quietly played through the speakers, and many couples went to the dance floor to press their foreheads against their date's, dancing slowly and dreamily._

_Eren and Jean looked at each other simultaneously, Eren's green eyes begging while Jean's amber ones looked unsure. Eren grabbed Jean's hand quickly and they walked out, having no clue what to do at first. Eren awkwardly rested his arms around Jean's shoulders, while the other placed his hands on Eren's hips._

_At first, their shins bumped and they stepped on eachother's toes often. The coos of other couples, girls and boys, of how perfect they were together were quite distracting. There would be bruises left on their knees and feet, and dirty suits with footprints to wash later on,something they would later laugh about, but in that moment, they couldn't help but look at eachother straight in the eyes. Because after getting the hang of it, they were lost in each other._

_Jean took a moment to look at Eren fully, absorbing him in from head to toe. He just then realized how much he truly loved the boy, whether he was scowling or smiling. It was as if Eren's sudden announcement made him realize how beautiful he was, and it was perplexing. How someone's face that you thought looked cute before could turn into an angel's puzzled him, but he rolled with it, nonetheless._

_Jean suddenly had the urge to kiss the boy, so he did, on the lips too. He could feel Eren's mouth pull into a smile under his soft lips, and he smiled too. They had spent the dance cradling each other in their embraces, and they later agreed it couldn't have been spent better._

* * *

It was that one day Jean discovered how much fight his boyfriend had in him that Eren spoke up suddenly, and thickly because of the tubes traveling down his throat and nose, and said, "I'll kill it, until not a single part of it remains in my body."

Jean looked up from staring at the other's small, pink fingers that he played with delicately.

"I won't die. Not here, not now."

And a smile found its way onto his lips, because Eren was so strongly determined, he was sure the dying boy could bring down harsh reality itself in a heap at his bare toes, while wearing that stupid hospital gown to mask his actual strength.

Eren was strong, and could fend for himself sometimes.

* * *

_Once Eren had been checked into the hospital, that was when Jean fully realized how sick he truly was. He could be stuck in there for months, but he promised the other that he would still always stick by his side._

_The first day, after Eren's parents had walked out before smiling at them both, Jean had found his place next to Eren's bed, chair placed with just enough space inbetween them for Jean's knees, and that was all._

_"I shouldn't be in here," Eren muttered angrily. "I'm not that sick." You could tell by the look in his eyes, he was actually broken-hearted, but covered it up with his usual angry facade._

_Jean grabbed Eren's hand instinctively. "It's going to be alright, Eren..." he whispered, rubbing the boy's fingers inbetween his. "You're going to get out of here soon enough, so be patient."_

_That seemed impossible for the boy, obviously, but surprisingly, he didn't object under Jean's heavy gaze that offered warmth and comfort. Instead he smiled lightly before leaning back and closing his eyes, falling asleep in minutes._

_Jean had placed a kiss on Eren's forehead afterwards, whispering to him, though he was asleep, that he would pull through and everything would be alright._

* * *

Months later, Eren still owned his strong demeanor, but his bones had grown frail and fragile as he turned more sickly by the second. He looked up at Jean, who had, in the entirety of his illness, parked a chair next to his bed and held his hand. He wouldn't have believed how much they fought before everything had happened. Jean hadn't called Eren a death-seeking asshole ever since the teen had gotten ill, and Eren hadn't uttered the phrase "horse face" either.

"I'm going..." he managed to rasp out, "...to heaven."

And in that moment, everything had collapsed in Jean's body. His heart was bleeding and gushing, but he would be strong for Eren, for the last time. One last time, even as the tears streaked down his cheeks.

They had been expecting this. Eren shouldn't have even lived this long, but he did, and now he was due. But Jean wasn't ready. He wanted to hold onto the sickly 15-year-old, whisper nothings into his ear, dance with him one last time, no matter how much their shins bruised afterwards.

"Hey..." the breathless brunette gasped quietly, squeezing the other's hand. "...Thanks for always being here with me. I know it must have sucked, being stuck in this damn gloomy room all the time." He looked around feverently as he broke out in a sweat. "...But you do know that I really did enjoy your company...right?" He gave him those puppy dog eyes, the ones that showed him he wanted a kiss. Even with those black rings around his huge eyes, his orbs still shone with something Jean couldn't quite put a finger on.

Jean didn't answer the question verbally. Instead, he leaned over Eren suddenly, his hands pressing into the cold matress. This was their last time together, so he would make it count, even if it was in just this small, cramped room. He cupped Eren's cheek in his hand before diving down and connecting lips with him, feverently kissing the boy, showing how big his desire was, yet while being as gentle as he could.

As their kiss heated, Eren wrapped his arms around Jean's neck, not wanting to let go for a moment. He murmured broken words each time they seperated for half a second, like "I'm sorry" and "I love you" and "I love you so damn much." Jean progressed the kiss even further as they were left panting and breathless, before stopping suddenly and resting foreheads against each other.

As Eren closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, Jean took that a moment to just look at the boy's face while it was livliest it could get. He had a smile on his face before pressing his lips down the other's neck, leaving tiny, butterfly kisses that made Eren's insides sizzle and flip. After he was finished nipping the nape of his lover's neck delicately, he just rested his head in his lap before speaking.

"Don't be sorry, for what you said before." he whispered tensely. "If you stay in this 'damn gloomy room,' then I'll stay here too. I realize how much you enjoyed everything, but I'm not sure you know how much I loved spending my time here with you. Because I really did. D-Don't forget that."

Eren blinked away the tears that began to form in his eyes and smiled, patting the empty spot next to him made when he scooted over. Jean jumped in next to Eren hastily, wrapping his arms around him protectively before kissing each other on the lips one last time. They were both tired of the sadness and tears, so they closed their eyes wearily, falling into each other's embrace.

"I love you," Eren said tiredly.

"I love you,too." Jean replied, before they had both fallen asleep.

He didn't know how much longer they were asleep, or how much longer his boyfriend lasted. He just wasn't ready for the beep that drew long and low to awake him from his dreams next to Eren.

* * *

Though Eren was strong enough to fend for himself sometimes, Jean still had to be there for him. He was even there for him when he wasn't there, it turned out.

Something caused the boy to smile chastely for minutes at a time while reading the headstone that said: _"Eren Jaeger, Rest In Peace. Strong in more than a million ways."_ And as he turned on his heel after placing a dozen roses on the grave, he knew that Eren would always remain in every part of his mind.

* * *

Yes, I know, corny headstone is corny, but I couldn't think of anything else, so please forgive the cheesiness! ;v;


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